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Even billionaires can be caught in the net of widespread sex sting operation. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faces charges of soliciting prostitution in Florida after he was snared in a widespread sex trafficking crackdown by authorities there. Kraft, age 77, is among the hundreds of people named in arrest warrants as part of…

Several district attorneys in Texas have decided to not prosecute minor marijuana possession offenses in their respective jurisdictions. For instance, in Houston’s Harris County, if you are caught with four ounces or less of marijuana, you will have the drugs confiscated and you will have the option to take a drug class. That means you…

There are two groups of offenders who qualify for expungement under this Act: (1) those undergoing a current drug court program as the Court supervising such offenders can order expungement of the offenses to which the offender pleaded to in that particular court; and (2) those individuals, who in addition to the above, have other…

There are pre-determined standards for the amount of alcohol in your body that can lead to DWI (driving while intoxicated) charges. If you are over 21 and operating a personal vehicle, the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is 0.08 percent. When you are under 21 years of age, any detectable amount of alcohol in…

A Look at the Criminal Courts in Tarrant County Class A and Class B misdemeanor offenses are handled in the Tarrant County Criminal Courts. There are Ten County Criminal Courts in Tarrant County, all located downtown Fort Worth at the Tim Curry Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap, Fort Worth, Texas 76196. Commonly seen offenses in…

This is an Arkansas expungement statute that only applies to crimes committed before the offender turned 18. Before you read this blog, you should read these two other blogs first IF you are looking to expunge a misdemeanor or a felony in Arkansas, because they are retroactive: The Arkansas Felony Comprehensive Criminal Record Sealing…

Groping charges are controversial in Texas, with many arguing that the law does not go far enough in criminalizing this behavior. In fact, legislation has recently been introduced that specifically focuses on groping. The bill would define groping as “indecent sexual assault,” and make it a class A misdemeanor. Houston sexual assault attorney Ned Barnett…

Rape charges carry very serious consequences. In addition to facing a significant jail or prison sentence, you will likely suffer permanent damage to your reputation if you are convicted. Sex offender registration may be necessary in your case, and such registration can impact your career, make it difficult to find housing, and even impact your…

The Texas Legislature’s 86th regular session kicked off last week and there are already over a dozen proposed bills that would legalize or decriminalize marijuana to some extent. As more than half the states in the union have legalized cannabis for medical use and 10 states have some form of recreational marijuana, marijuana advocates in…

If you face a charge for DWI, drug possession, sex assault or any other criminal offense and need a criminal defense lawyer, you may be wondering about getting a private attorney versus a public defender. Which one is the best? First, let’s consider the nature of a public defender. Court-appointed defender When a criminal defendant…

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What Happens If This Is My Second DWI? Many people who have been arrested for their first driving while intoxicated (DWI) offense in Texas hope that their lack of a prior criminal record will be a mitigating factor that convinces prosecutors to reduce the criminal charge. A person is not afforded this luxury when he…

In the continuing work to diversify the legal cannabis space and include communities that have been hurt the most by the war on drugs, advocates have unveiled a model local ordinance that would help more people of color enter the industry. The Model Municipal Social Equity Ordinance, released Monday by the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), “creates…

One of the most influential associations within the United Nations (UN) has endorsed the decriminalization of drug possession and use in a policy statement. The UN Chief Executives Board (CEB), which represents 31 UN agencies including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), adopted a position stipulating that member states should pursue science-based, health-oriented…

In this blog I’ll be correcting and explaing some of the mistakes in a recent National Review article about the families that are turning themselves in at the border and claiming asylum. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/illegal-immigration-enforcement-separating-kids-at-border/ So, before I get too deep into this analysis, I want to be very clear. There is a difference…